Canadian Home Front

Mr. Beland
Review Questions
• Who was Elsie Macgill and what major contribution did she bring to
the Canadian war effort?
• What are some reasons why the League of Nations failed?
• What were some aims of the League of Nations?
• Which super powers were mainly involved in creating the Treaty of
Versailles?
• How can you remember Germany’s punishment in the Treaty of
Versailles?
 Conscription?
• In 1939 – Prime Minister Mackenzie King made
an election promise to never introduce
conscription
• Mandatory military service for overseas duty
• By 1940 – King implemented the National
Resource Mobilization Act (NRMA)
• Everyone 16+ had to sign up to defend the
country for ‘home defense’.
• By December 1941, King amended the NRMA to
allow for overseas conscription
 “Total War Effort”
• When WWII began, the Great
Depression ended
• The Canadian economy was focused on
providing weapons and supplies to
Britain
• Factories were repurposed to create:
• Bombs, Bullets, Ships, Aircraft, and
Armoured Cars
 What did the Canadian
Government do?
• The government paid for the war effort through:
• Taxes
• War Bond Sales
• Gold payments from Britain
• Government introduced rationing restrictions on:
• Gas
• Coffee
• Tea
 What did the Canadian
Government do? Cont.
• Put on Metal Drives: Melt down scrap
metal to build ammunition, planes, etc.
for war
The Role of
Women
Official Women’s
Branches During WW2
• Army: (CWAC)
• Air Force (RCAF – Women’s
Division)
• Navy (Women’s Royal Canadian
Naval Service – AKA “WRENS”)
 The Role of Women
Cont.
• By the end of the war, more than
46,000 women served overseas as:
• Cooks
• Pilots
• Mechanics
• Welders
• Radar operators
• Pilots
• Special Operations Executives –
Secret Agents
 Women on Home
Front
• Dramatic increase in # of women in
workforce
• Factories started to operate 7 days a
week for 12 hours a day
• By 1944, 1 million women working
 Working Conditions for
Women
• Women were paid less than men for the same
work
• Most people expected women to give up jobs
to returning soldiers once the war was over
• Many women were forced to quit or were fired
Mobilization – National
Selective Service Act (1942)
• Due to a labour shortage in industries
producing and supplying resources for the
war effort:
• All male and female workers were to
register for ‘essential war work’
Propaganda
Propaganda

• Information spread for the purpose of

promoting a particular cause
• Not necessarily truthful
• National Film Board of Canada developed
short films to encourage Canadians to
participate in war effort
How Was Propaganda Used? Examples
To conserve / ration important materials
How Was Propaganda Used? Examples
To create images of the enemy as evil
How Was Propaganda Used?
Examples

• To discourage Canadians from

carelessly talking about wartime
matters (there was a fear of spying)
How Was
Propaganda Used?
Examples
To encourage people to engage in
war effort in a variety of ways